Emailed to FAM Bargaining Unit members on Friday, October 13, 2023

We write to to let you know that over 10% of the membership of Faculty Assembly have submitted a petition to Provost Mullenix to call a meeting of Faculty Assembly according to the rules outlined in the Enabling Act, Article 6.

Together, 116 faculty and librarians submitted the below resolution for discussion and vote:

Faculty Assembly Petition

We, the signers of this petition, according to our rights as members of Faculty Assembly (Enabling Act, Article 6), are calling for a meeting of Faculty Assembly to be convened within one month to discuss the below resolution, to be followed by a vote of Faculty Assembly on the resolution. We note that Faculty Assembly has the right of initiative and referendum and that actions of Faculty Assembly are tantamount to University Senate actions.

Faculty Assembly Resolution

Whereas Miami University administration is responsible for carrying out the policies of Miami University as defined in the Miami Policy Library;

Whereas if Miami University management wishes to alter the area of policy called the Enabling Act, an amendment process (Article 7) exists for the purpose;

Whereas the All-Faculty Committee for the Evaluation of Administrators is defined in the Enabling Act, Article 5, section 3;

Whereas Miami University management has suspended the All-Faculty Committee for Evaluation of Administrators on the grounds that its continuation requires discussions with the Faculty Alliance of Miami at the bargaining table (although the committee addresses no issues that relate to mandatory topics of bargaining);

Whereas Miami University management, despite its stated reasons for suspending the committee, has refused to take up the matter at the bargaining table or otherwise discuss it;

Whereas Faculty Assembly has elected representatives to the All-Faculty Committee for Evaluation of Administrators to perform duties defined in university policy and expects the university to support them in doing those duties; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, that the Faculty Assembly demands the immediate reinstatement of the All-Faculty Committee for Evaluation of Administrators as well as any similar divisional and departmental administrator evaluation committees that have been suspended.

What’s next?

Further information on the issue is here and here. We will be in touch as we hear more.

Meanwhile, we urge you to see for yourself what is happening in negotiations. Attend bargaining next week on Wednesday, October 18, in person at Wilkes Conference Center, MUH, or on Zoom — for more information, RSVP at http://tinyurl.com/FAMbargaining.

The best leverage for negotiating a strong foundational contract is membership. Become a member of FAM! (Being part of the FAM bargaining unit does not mean you are a member of FAM.) Find out more by talking to your liaison.